Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Atlas/Seaboard Comics: The Grim Ghost

In January 1975, The Grim Ghost debuted written by Michael Fleisher and illustrated by Ernie Colon. Set in Colonial America, dashing Matthew Dunsinane was a successful silversmith by day and masked highwayman by night, feared by all as the Grim Ghost. Betrayed by a woman in 1743, he was captured and executed, but the quick thinking rogue struck up a bargain in hell with Satan, becoming his agent delivering evil souls to Hell or suffering there in eternity for his crimes. Now the avenger travels nightly on a flying jet black steed firing his spectral pistols transporting the still-living thieves and murders down to the flames of Perdition. While posing as a living descendant of himself, still in his original baronial New England mansion, two centuries later, he also carries on his greatest mission, capturing the demon Brimstone, who is trying to overthrow Satan himself to rule the underworld. Dunsinane even has to team up with Lady Sarah Braddock, the woman who betrayed him to accomplish his goals in this moody horror/adventure title. This Earth-bound specter was an interesting addition to Seaboards stable of titles, drawing the best elements from other characters like The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Ghost Rider, Zorrro, and The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh. Tony Isabella was called in to script the third issue with a more mellow spectral hero, but unfortunately the series ended in January of 1976 when the company folded with issue #3 and a Russ Heath cover as shown below.